The Jamela Books

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

I just read a review about these books.  These books are new to me, but would definitely become part of my life if I still had young children at home.  The main character of this series is a young girl growing up in South Africa.  In these books, frugality is a fact of life.  It’s something […]

For the Micro Traveler

Thursday, May 28th, 2009

I’ve found the ideal hotel for a seaman on a limited budget.  It’s actually a good place for all travelers, but after spending ten years at sea, these hotels give me the “just like home” feeling.  It’s the micro hotel and two examples are The Jane Hotel and The Pod Hotel The Pod Hotel offers […]

The Horrid Day After

Friday, December 26th, 2008

I used to shop the day after Christmas sales when my children were young and I was less frugal.  I would buy lots of Christmas wrap, ribbons and cards at the half off sales.  I never saved any money, but I was able to buy much nicer items.  Nicer items that were just going to […]

Merry Christmas from the Island

Thursday, December 25th, 2008

Today I’m enjoying the freshness of the morning, and feeling blessed. I’m celebrating the birth of my saviour and the abundance with which I’ve been given.  Last night I sat out on the beach and watched the stream of brightly decorated boats as they sailed along the coast of the mainland in their annual parade of glory.  The […]

CVS Done Me Wrong!

Friday, December 12th, 2008

Actually, they are making it difficult for a lot of us.  CVS is near my home and I have filled my prescriptions there for nearly three years now.  They had in me a loyal customer, because they matched Wal-Mart’s price of $10 for a three month refill.  That is, until this week.  They will fill it for […]

Black Friday

Friday, November 21st, 2008

I know why they call it Black Friday.  When I used to indulge in all the sales the day after Thanksgiving, I would drag home with bags of bargains and impulse shopping.  This was even when I had all my Christmas shopping done and thought I would just pick up a few more things.  That […]

Is My Electric Bill High?

Friday, September 5th, 2008

I certainly thought it was, but the guy who does the yearly maintenance check on my central air conditioning system said it’s not.  I’ve just completed my first year here at the money pit and I have had nothing to compare my power usage month by month.  $113 sounds high to me.  I’m willing to give […]

Laundry Mathematics

Friday, July 25th, 2008

I’ve been trying to figure out how laundry multiplies.  There doesn’t seem to be much logic to it.  I did two, sometimes three loads weekly prior to Consumer Man moving back in.  That has turned into five or six loads a week now.  I would think that the most that would happen would be a […]

Battling Consumer Man

Friday, May 16th, 2008

I’ve been trying to become more environmentally friendly, but my husband just hasn’t been interested.  That certainly makes it an uphill climb.  Sometimes that hill looks like Mt. Everest.  It’s a slow climb, but I refuse to sit down and give up.  I’ve been replacing our light bulbs with CFL’s.  I exchanged bulbs in a […]

Paper or Plastic?

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

That’s a question we hear a lot when we’re out shopping for groceries.  Increasingly, the reply is, “Neither.  I have my own cloth bags.”  The groceries are hopping on the bandwagon with this and selling reusable bags.  I do most of my shopping at Publix as it’s just a few blocks from my home.  They […]